3 Easy Ways to Make a Worksheet More Engaging

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During my teaching career, I’ve never been a huge fan of textbooks. The textbooks I’ve been given over the years NEVER match the standards I’m supposed to teach! So I find myself creating my own worksheets each year to supplement the curriculum. But you and I both know that worksheets aren’t exactly something students get excited about!

BUT the use of the an occasional worksheet doesn’t have to be boring--keep reading to learn 3 easy ways to make a worksheet more engaging!

Add a Riddle to a Worksheet

I love riddles–the cornier the better! Adding a riddle to a worksheet does take a little bit of prep time on your part, but it’s a fun extra to add to any worksheet!

To add a riddle to any worksheet:

  1. Decide on the riddle you would like to use. Google is your BFF here! 😉
  2. Assign each question a letter from the riddle.
  3. Write or type out blanks for your students to fill in with the letters as they get the correct answer. You’ll need to put answers under each blank for students to match the letters to.

And that’s it! Like I said, it takes a little prep time, but it is one of my favorite things to add to a worksheet! BONUS–it also makes the worksheet you are using self-checking. And who doesn’t love that?

Not ready to create your own riddles? I’ve got a steadily growing math riddle collection in my Teachers Pay Teachers store that you can check out!

Here are some of my favorites:

Allow Students to Choose Questions

This is by far the QUICKEST and EASIEST way to add engagement to a worksheet! Simply giving students a choice of what they get to do gets them more excited about what they completing.

To give students a choice:

  1. Give students a regular worksheet, full of questions.
  2. Allow them to choose a preselected amount of questions that they will solve.

… and that’s it! It is really as simple as that!

Turn the Worksheet into a Mini Scavenger Hunt

This method is another EASY PREP way to make a worksheet more engaging. In math, it can also have the added bonus of requiring students to estimate AND solve.

Here’s how I like to do a mini scavenger hunt with a worksheet:

  1. Give students a worksheet (it will be less frustrating for students if there are 10 or less questions to look through).
  2. Say to students “One of these questions has the answer _____. Find which question it is and prove it to me by solving it.”

What I love about this engagement strategy is: I don’t have to plan anything extra and my students will definitely have to use some reasoning skills while looking through the questions. Plus, students love a fun challenge, right? It’s a win-win!

Need some short worksheets that are perfect for mini scavenger hunts? Check out my 4th and 5th Grade MEGA Resources! They not only include short worksheets, but video mini lessons AND interactive slides!

Worksheets don’t HAVE to be boring unless you want them to be! Have another way of making a worksheet more engaging? Or have you tried one of these strategies and loved it? Let me know in the comments below!